Middle East airlines post 4.4% rise in demand

Middle Eastern carriers saw a 4.4 per cent year-on-year increase in demand in September, data showed on Thursday.

According to the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA), capacity of the region’s carriers increased 4.6 per cent year-on-year and the load factor was 81.4 per cent ( a decline of 0.1 percentage point compared to September 2023).

All regions showed growth for international passenger markets in September 2024 compared to September 2023. Load factor was a mixed bag: Europe had the highest load factors, and Asia and African carriers also improved, but the Americas and the Middle East declined.

Asia-Pacific airlines achieved an 18.5 per cent year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity increased 17.7 per cent year-on-year and the load factor was 82.6 per cent (+0.5ppt compared to September 2023).

European carriers saw a 7.6 per cent year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity increased 7.4 per cent year-on-year, and the load factor was 85.9 per cent (+0.2ppt compared to September 2023).

North American carriers saw a 0.5 per cent year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity increased 1.9 per cent year-on-year, and the load factor was 84.4 per cent (-1.1 ppt compared to September 2023).

Latin American airlines saw a 12.4 per cent year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity climbed 13.9 per cent year-on-year. The load factor was 84.3 per cent (-1.1ppt compared to September 2023).

African airlines saw an 11.9 per cent year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity was up 6.6 per cent year-on-year. The load factor rose to 76.0 per cent (+3.6ppt compared to September 2023).

Total demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometers (RPK), was up 7.1 per cent compared to September 2023, an all-time high for September. Total capacity, measured in available seat kilometers (ASK), was up 5.8 per cent year-on-year. The September load factor was 83.6 per cent (+1.0ppt compared to September 2023).

International demand rose 9.2 per cent compared to September 2023. Capacity was up 9.1 per cent year-on-year and the load factor rose to 83.8 per cent (+0.1ppt compared to September 2023).

Domestic demand rose 3.7 per cent compared to September 2023. Capacity was up 0.7 per cent year-on-year and the load factor was 83.3 per cent (+2.4ppt compared to September 2023).

“The year’s peak travel season ended with demand at an all-time high. This is good news not just for passengers but also for the global economy. Every flight creates more jobs and trade. But the air travel success story is bringing challenges. We will soon face a capacity crunch in some regions which threatens to curtail these economic and social benefits. Government’s will face a choice: lose out to more dynamic nations who value global connectivity, or forge a consensus for sustainable growth. Airlines are making significant investments to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. That needs to be accompanied by an equally active political vision, backed-up by actions, to ensure we have efficient and sufficient airport and air traffic management capacity to meet the needs of citizens and businesses to travel,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s director-general.